I was realizing recently that I have been posting a lot of crap. Not badly written, but just sort of mundane items. So here I sat, looking for inspiration.

Then I decided to catch up on Frontline.

I hadn’t watched the April 1 episode, called “Bad Voodoo’s War,” until tonight. Want to remind yourself of what 140,000+ Americans face in Iraq and Afghanistan? Watch it.

Don’t want to remind yourself? Then definitely watch it. I find that regardless of what your position on the war, and whether we should be there or not — the true cost of the conflict, and the true heroism of those who are there, is most evident when you actually look at it through human eyes. These guys are the real deal, and it’s really easy for people here to forget about it.

I think recently, I have been one of those people. I haven’t thought about the war as much, except as a piece of Congressional testimony. I’ve thought about taxes. I’ve thought about health care. I’ve thought about politics. I’ve thought about my fantasy baseball team.

So for a little while… I’m thinking about Iraq – not as a cause, or a struggle against terrorism, or anything else, except as a place where real people are doing real work, in real danger.

So if you haven’t considered any personal war stories recently, here are 30 of them. Take a closer look at who they are. The only difference between them and the other guys is that they documented their lives for Frontline. And told a hell of a story. Here’s to them – hope they make it home safely. Thanks.

(NECN aired a great documentary about the pain the families of New England’s fallen have faced, which has picked up a lot of awards, called “Remember Us.” It’s another worthwhile view – and I would bet we bring it out for more airings around Memorial Day.)